Simple & Clean
by OneWritOnWater
Summary: Lost in the darkness I constantly search for you. Memories replay themselves over and over again, and I'm beaten down to nothing, here all alone with out you...


**Simple & Clean**

"Riku!" Sora's voice echoed out into the dark abyss. He had finally reached the end of the line and now what stood before him was the final obstacle. The final stand off. The end of the story.

"Riku!! RIKU!" He continued hollering until his throat began to ache. In return, all he ever got was his own distant echo fading off into silence. All around were deep shadows of the unknown, and there wasn't any particular path to follow besides which every way he was facing.

In his chest he could feel his heart pounding as he bolted forward, a determined voice in his head egging him on. As he raced through the darkness flashes of memories purged his mind.

_'It's Riku! Riku's here!" He remembered crying on his knees as he clutched the silver-haired boy's hand in his own._

_'You share it with the one you love and your destinies become intertwined.' Riku exclaimed to Sora while holding out a papou fruit._

He gazed at him and reached out for the fruit but Riku's form was suddenly consumed by a massive wave and Sora was flung back. He tried with all his might to swim against the current but was beaten back. Everything faded to a complete darkness and he emerged through the sky, free falling and head first towards the infinite bottom.

He opened his eyes slowly, unable to hear anything but the gusting wind that hugged his body. He felt lost and empty, unable to conjure up a logical explanation for any of this.

_'I've been... having these weird thoughts lately.'_

There was a momentary pause as the wind suddenly calmed and silence hung all around him, but he still continued falling. He couldn't make any sense of out of it. Bewildered, his loosened his tense muscles and allowed him to go limp.

_'Like... is any of this for real... or not?'_

Finally, the earth appeared and the vision of 'blue' flooded his mind. It felt as if he was crashing through the earth's surface at a 100 miles per hour then coming to a complete and utter stop, floating in mid air. He slowly opened his eyes, watching as bubbles escaped through his mouth and nose.

He only had a moment to look around him before his feet touched down on a large glass platform. For a second it was deathly quiet and he could only hear the silent hum of the ocean. But the silence was quickly broken when the platform beneath him erupted and shattered into a million pieces, throwing him off and deeper into the water's depths.

He was riddled with shards and he could see a red coloring to the water around him as he floated downward. He wasn't quite sure if he had been cut, because there wasn't any noticeable pain. His eyes widened as the oceans surface suddenly came down towards him and he found himself looking up at a spiraling staircase.

He got up slowly on his hands and knees and was beaten down by an unbearable sharp pain that traveled through his entire body. At that moment he wished more than anything to be back in the cool water but it was too late to turn back now. He watched as a small pool of blood collected beneath him and did everything to ignore the tremendous pain.

He carefully rose to his feet, despite his exhaustion. As he did, shards of glass fell from his fresh wounds and shattered to even smaller pieces on the ground below. Step by step he made his way up the stairs, trembling beneath the immense pain throughout his body.

As he reached the top there was a door before him. He clutched his arms and shut his eyes tightly. "Riku!" He cried out, tears streaming down his face. The very name seemed to be driving him because if it weren't for the sudden thought of the silver-haired man, he would have collapsed into the darkness once more.

He stepped up toward the door, ever hopeful he'd find who he was looking. It was cracked open and on the other side he could see a cloaked figure. Only the mouth was visible and it held a small smile directed at Sora.

_'Together we can do it.'_

Sora clenched his fist and tried to pull the door open, using almost all the strength he had left. He felt a warm hand reach out and grasp hold of his which made him stop and suddenly look up. He couldn't believe what he saw. His heart was playing a drum solo and his mind was racing with thoughts and memories of it's own. There on the other side was Riku.

Sora smiled brightly as tears slid down his cheeks. "Riku!" He called out, ever so happy to see his best friend. Riku's voice was soft and almost un-audible. He spoke as if out of memory.

_"Take care of her."_

Sora's eyes widened and he held Riku's hands tightly, afraid of what would come next. The smile he held previously was replaced with an expression of pure fear and sadness. He wanted to pull Riku towards him but the male's body was beginning to fade from sight. His hand, which Sora grasped ever so tightly, began to dissolve from Sora's grip and the process continued up his arms and throughout his entire body.

His reassuring smile was the last remnants of his existence and he was able to mouth something to Sora. Sora struggled against the closing door and Riku's vanishing act, but was helpless against it all. He stumbled back and watched on as Riku finally faded away and the door sealed itself shut.

His eyes never tore away from the scene, and he seemed to be in shock from the whole experience. He was unable to move, speak, or even breath. However, on the inside his mind was screaming.

"RIKU! Please don't go!" He blurted out finally, his voice crying out into the darkness. He seeped to the floor, clinging to the door. His eyes were worn with tears and his body was badly cut and weakened. He was falling apart by the minute and there was no one around but him. He was all alone in the darkness, with only his memories to keep him company.

Like a child he pounded on the door with his feet and yelled out in desperation.

"I can't lose you! Not again, not ever! Please don't leave me alone!!"

He breathed in sharply, his voice cracking as his aching throat became dry. He fell silent and stared at the ground as he slumped towards it, going limp. His mind became consumed and soon even it was left alone and unthinking.

Before total shut down, he thought back on what Riku was trying to say to him before but he just couldn't concieve a thought of any kind. He reached for his head and grabbed it, curling up on the cold wet floor. His heart pounded in his chest and was ready to bound right out of his body.

He let out a grunt of pain as his hands feel loosely from his head and onto the floor.

"I think... I know what you said... Riku..."

He paused for a moment and closed his eyes, breathing in slowly as if to prepare himself for something.

**"I'm not afraid either!"**

He let out with a holler, as his eyes shot open. With great will power, he managed to push himself off the ground. As he regained his balance and was able to stand on two feet again, through the darkness ahead his own home land grew into view.

He rushed towards it, ignoring the numbing pain that pulsated through his body. He was flung from one world to another and found himself the island's shoreline, overlooking the wide ocean ahead. His eyes widened in surprise as he spotted a most familiar figure.

Riku stood about knee high in the water, his back to Sora. His form glowed against the horizon and the gentle breeze brought to Sora Riku's familiar scent. It was a mixture of musk and the salty ocean, which Sora found to be a very comforting scent since it also reminded him of home.

He watched Riku for a bit before he saw him beginning to turn towards him. He blinked slightly and watched as Riku held out his hand and smiled gently. He was waiting for Sora it seemed, but the brunette was hesitating. He felt as if he had been here before, and a creeping feeling of despair ached in his gut.

Something told him it was futile to reach out for Riku because in the end he was going to be alone. No matter how many times he repeated this scene, he would never be able to reach Riku in time and before knew it he would be engulfed by the darkness.

He was brought back from his thoughts as Riku motioned for him to come. The water was still and calm and there was a soft breeze that whispered by. Riku waited, the smile he held never faltering. Sora's body trembled in fear and he slowly stepped forward, inching his way towards the water.

As his foot hit the water's edge, it immediately began to receed and he knew he only had seconds before Riku would be gone again. He grew angry with himself when he noticed how long he lingered at the shoreline and sprinted forward, with all determination and will power at his side.

He didn't want to see Riku swallowed by the sea and taken to the darkness. He wanted this time to be different. He tensed his body and raced towards Riku, the tsunami-like wave already in sight and beginning to tumble down towards earth. It took everything he had to reach out and regard Riku one final time.

He was so close he could have sworn he felt the warmth of Riku's fingertips against his own. The wave plowed down on him and he felt a blast lay hard on him. Again everything went to total darkness and silence was his only companion.

Slowly he opened his eyes, expecting to be greeted by the pitch blackness of shadows but instead his eyes were invaded by a blaring light. He squinted for a moment and shielded his eyes before realizing it was the sun. His eyes shot open in disbelief.

He felt as if he were dreaming a forbidden dream. A dream he was meant to wake up from. A dream he'd give his life for. But it wasn't a dream, it was real. Everything about that moment was real. He could see the light from the sun, feel the grittyness from the sand, taste the salt in his mouth, smell the ocean's breeze, and most of all, he could hear another heartbeat against his ear.

Sora suddenly rose to his feet in a fit of happiness and gripped Riku's hands in his own, looking over his form to make sure it really was him. He felt relieved, and it was almost as if his body had been reassured enough so it may sleep because he suddenly felt weak.

His body began to collapse but Riku quickly caught him and eased him down. Exhausted, worn, and finally contempt, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Riku laid him down on the warm dry sand and sat by his side, smiling down at him. Sora weakly lifted a hand and trailed his fingertips down Riku's cheek and jawline.

The sun light pouring over his form made him feel even more sleepy and his eyes were beginning to feel very heavy as they started to shut on him. He could see the final ending of his story coming into place like a million puzzle pieces finding their connections.

He drifted off, leaving a lasting image of Riku, a setting sun in the background, and a sky rich with deep yellow, orange, and red hues, fresh in his mind. All that was left was silence.

_**"Sora!"**  
"Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all... Don't be **afraid** Sora!"  
"Where's Sora?"  
"...their destinies become intertwined..."_

**"Sora!!"**


End file.
